What’s the biggest challenge to newbie bloggers? More often than not, it’s the actual start – the first few articles. “Just write on what you love” and “Write whatever you like” just doesn’t cut it anymore. Those kinds of advice lack direction and in the crowded blogosphere, direction is everything. You can achieve this by creating a niche blog.
3 Steps to Start a Niche Blog
First of all, what is a niche? In blogging, let’s imagine that the blogosphere is a very large shopping mall. Niches are the departments and areas inside it; these departments have further sub-sections as well dealing with more specific demands. These more specific areas are ‘hyper-niches’ – blogs which cater towards much smaller but highly dedicated audience base.
- Example of a niche: Toys and Recreation
- Example of a hyper-niche: Star Wars collectibles
Step 1 – Decide on the Area
Which are of the mall do you like spending time in the most? If it’s the food court, it would make no sense to open up a fashion store here. To start a niche blog, determine your general area in the blogosphere. Maybe you like clothes, but you find food more interesting, enjoyable, and satisfying.
- What are the first 3-5 words/things which relate to you?
- Can you talk about these every day?
Step 2 – Decide on Your Theme
“Food” is a very general term, covered under Step 1. To be this general may give more options for you as a blogger, but you may end up vague and drown amidst the thousands of other blogs out there in the same niche. What if you were the only authority on Modern Japanese and Korean Cuisine? Now that would be something! Your theme helps you focus on your interests AND expertise.
- What are the 1-2 things your friends tell you you’re an expert on?
- Do you feel that you’re an expert on these things?
Step 3 – Decide on Your Product
Make no mistake about it – as a blogger, you are selling a product: your articles and ideas. You have your area and your theme, and it’s now time for you to decide what you want to “put on your store shelves”. You must therefore decide if you would rather have more visitors but probably less interested ones, or lesser visitors but those who DO go to you (your blog) are crazy about your products.
- On your area of expertise, what particular thing about can you teach to others?
- Do you this for a living or for passion?
Niche blogging is tough to pull off. Done wrong, your blog will disappear into obscurity, seen by neither human eyes nor web crawlers. Done right, you will attract highly-targeted traffic and you will reap the rewards of niche authority, credibility, and thought-leadership. Good luck!
Interested to start a niche blog? Just let me know in the comments, or send me a tweet at @jsncruz! Please share and Like this article if you found it useful!
Featured image from Maria Reyes McDavis via Creative Commons.
About Jason Cruz
